Metallic crate.



PATENTED SEPT. 15,51903.

' R. S. JOHNSON.

IVIETALLIG CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED rm; 3, 190a UNITED STATE Patented September 15, 1903. 4

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT S. JOHNSON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

f METALLIC CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Ifatent No. 739,006, dated September 15, 1903. I Application filed February 3, 1903. Serial No. 141,640. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. JOHNSON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and use The object of the invention is to produce a crate which will fold into a small space when not in use. A further object is to form such a crate of wire or metal, giving greater strength and cleanliness than would otherwise be the case.

With this and other objects in view an embodiment of the invention is herein described in which the sides and ends of the crate comprise standards formed of twisted wire connected by wire rods. The folding effect is permitted by'looping the ends of the wires into the corner standards, for min g hin ge connections whereby the sides and ends may be collapsed and folded together against each other.

Instead of the twisted wire herein described the standards may be formed of pressed steel, with holes for the loops of the wires, or of wire rods wound and looped to engage the loops of the side wires.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate set up, and Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the crate folded.

Referring specifically to the drawings, '6 indicates the standards, which are therein shown as formed of twisted wire. The twists of the corner-standards are open at intervals,

forming spaces to receive the loops 7 of the horizontal wires 7 forming the sides and ends of the crate. The wires are stayed at the middle by passing through open twists in the middle standards, as at 6 The loop connection to the corner-standards forms hinges which permit the sides and ends to be col-,

lapsed,.when the bottom of the crate is removed, into substantial parallelism, as shown in Fig. 2, The number and distance apart of the wires forming thesides and ends of the crate are suitable and according to the use to which the crate is to be put.

The bottom of the crate is indicated at 8 and rests at its ends upon the lower Wires of the ends of the crate. The bottom is somewhat longer than the inside measurement of the crate, and it is inserted through the top and sprung into place by slightly forcing out the ends of the crate, which action is permitted by the elasticity of the metal. The bottom is notched at each end, as at 8, to receive the middle end standards, whereby it is held in place.

Instead of the wooden bottom a wire bottom maybe substituted formed of a wire construction of similar shape inserted. and retained by the same means asQshown in connection with the wooden bottom. It will be seen that the bottom may be removed by springing the ends outwardly, and when so removed the ends and sides can be folded, as above described, and they cannot be folded unless the bottom is removed.

The cover of the crate is preferably formed of wire in two parts, (indicated at 9,) each of which is hinged by wire loops 10 to the top wires of the sides of the crate. This permits the 1 parts of the cover to be lifted up and folded out and down against the outside of the sides of the crate, in which position they do not interfere with the folding operation, but lie close against the sides and occupy very little space. One of the parts of the cover may have a hand-door 11 for use with poultry. The crate formed as above specified will be comparatively cheapand of very little weight and when empty may be collapsed to occupy very little space and make a compact package for shipping.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a crate, the combination with elastic Walls formedof spaced wires joined at the I corners, of a removable rigid bottom longer than the inside of the crate, the ends of the bottom being sprung within the openings bethe walls and having notches receiving the i0 tween the Wires forming the Walls and supstandards. ported on the lower Wires thereof. In testimony whereof I aifix my signature 2. In a folding crate, the combination with in presence of two witnesses. elastic walls formed of horizontal spaced Wires flexibly joined at the corners and hav- ROBER F JOHNSON ing vertical standards connecting the Wires, of Witnesses: aremovablerigidbottomlongerthantheinside O. J. ALGER, of the crate, sprung within and supported by l SIMEON LE ROY. 

